A farming system approach to support policies for food security under climate change in developing countries: the case of Mozambique

Doutoramento em Estudos de Desenvolvimento / Instituto Superior de Agronomia / ISEG / ICS / IGOT - Universidade de LisboaFood insecurity is a concerning issue affecting most developing countries, and it is projected to be exacerbated by climate change, especially among farmers. Small farmers are among the most exposed and vulnerable to food insecurity, and climate change, due to the high dependence of their livelihoods on natural resources, essential for agricultural activity. Governments in developing countries, have adopted several strategies and policies to help reduce the negative effects of climate change on food security. However, they have been criticized due to the failure of their policies in addressing the needs of the rural population, therefore not producing the desired positive outcomes on farmers’ livelihoods. Overall, most governments have adopted one-size-fits-all policies, not considering the heterogeneity of farmers and the complexity of farming systems. Therefore, this research develops and proposes a farming system approach to support policy for food security under climate change in developing countries. First, a farming system typology is built, having been identified 16 farming systems; then the biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of farming system choice are modelled, where climatic variables were evidenced. The final step consisted in predicting the impact of climate change on farming systems choice and on food security among rural farmers using a space for time modelling approach, and priority areas for policy intervention were identified. The framework developed, based on a farming system approach is evaluated, and tested for the case of Mozambique. Nevertheless, the proposed approach can be applied in other developing countries, as this framework is essentially based on secondary data readily available. This framework is a cost-effective way for governments in developing countries, to carry out policy evaluations, while acknowledging the existing diversity of farming systems and including the key actors that will benefit with the policy implementationThis thesis was supported by Observatório do Meio Rural through a PhD scholarshipN/